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Home >> Digital Camera Accessories
SmartDisk Flash Trax FTX80 80 GB MP3 Player and CF Recorder | List Price: $1,020.13
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Brand: SmartDisk
Binding: Electronics
Features: - Transfer digital pictures from CompactFlash, IBM Microdrive, and other flash media formats via separately sold adapter
- Store and watch video with audio soundtrack
- View pictures on integrated 3.5 color LCD, or on the nearest NTSC or PAL TV with included video cable and infrared remote control
- Listen to MP3 music
- Transfer files to your computer via USB 2.0 or 1.1 interface
I was very disappointed in this unit. [Posted on 2005-01-28]
I was very disappointed in this unit. I was going to take it on two-week trip, where the eight of us could save all of our pictures, and review them in the hotel during the trip, and burn a DVD for all at the end, but after discovering the following deficiencies, I threw it in a drawer instead: (1) power brick and cables were almost as large and as heavy as the unit itself, (2) the unit took 5-7 seconds just to display the next picture - making quick review very frustrating, and (3) the video cable for displaying on a TV did not work, or just barely worked if one jiggled it and held it out 1/16th of an inch and applied pressure - either a defective or poorly designed cable/plug. I'd expect this from a $5 pair of cheap headphones, but this unit cost me almost 600 dollars.
Middle of the road Photo storage device [Posted on 2005-06-24]
I've owned a Flashtrax (40GB), Epson P-2000 & eFilm Picture pad and would rate the Flashtrax in the middle of the pack, with the P-2000 in the lead at this point when it comes to digital photo storage.
Advantages to Flashtrax
- One button download don't need to open cover to start download process
- Better raw file support, can rotate & zoom raw files & view histogram
- Offers a 80GB option
Disadvantages of Flashtrax
- Doesn't come with protective case
- Hinged screen seems vulnerable to breakage if you bend it back too far
- Menus & filelists are hard to navigate - buttons awkward
- Need to move rubber piece to insert memory card each time
- Compared to p-2000 the screen display is poor and protective plastic is flimsy
- Battery snaps on end near hinge and can pop out if you press buttons on side accidentally.
- Slow download speeds
- Awkward to hold & balance because you have to unfold the screen. Folding screen also makes hard to adjust screens angle of view if there is a glare.
Advantages to P-2000
- Menus & Buttons are visual, intuitive and easy to use. Browsing thumbnails display quickly.
- The display is large, sharp, bright and perfect for viewing photos
- Quick downloads
- Memory cards slot design makes it easy to load & remove cards with press of button. Accepts both SD & Compact Flash cards without an adapter.
- Comes with protective case, hand strap & display stand
- Battery is well protected - stored inside device with a door covering it
- Easy handling, no clumsy screen to unfold
Disadvantages to P-2000
- Can't Zoom or do slide shows with raw files If you shoot .nef +jpg, you can still zoom, create slide shows and it will auto rotate the jpg for you. Although you can't rotate raw files I didn't find it an issue since it's easy to turn the device sideways and that way it uses the whole large screen for a larger display anyway.
- No Histogram display on raw files (again if you shoot with a raw+jpg you can view the histogram on the jpg)
- Hard to find one in stock to buy!
Prior to buying the P-2000 I owned a Flashtrax & an eFilm PicturePad which I use to download raw digital photos. One day the eFilm stopped reading memory cards, but the other functions worked. Although it was under warranty the eFilm stopped making them and couldn't fix it so bought a Flashtrax to replace it.
I liked the Flashtrax a lot better than the picturePad since it's display, battery life and menus were much better than the efilm. When my husband dropped the FlashTrax on a grassy area, the screen cracked even though it was folded at the time. It still worked fine, the display was just cracked. So don't assume that the folding screen will protect the screen from breaking. SmartDisk replaced the screen but a few weeks ago my photo equipment was stolen so I was back on the market for a portable storage device. I must give kudos to SmartDisk for great warranty support! After reading a review of the p-2000 I decided to give it a try. (On the p-2000 the glass/plastic on the p-2000 screen & body seems much more solid than the FlashTrax so I think it would withstand rough play a little better even though it doesn't fold.)
Now that I've worked with the P-2000, I wouldn't buy another Flashtrax. The P-2000 downloads from memory cards much faster, and the screen display is bright, sharp and large enough (3.8") to get a detailed view of photos. The menu's are more intuitive due to the more visual nature of the menus and the buttons easier to use. The slide show feature also automatically will create transitions to make the show look polished without any effort. There's no folding and unfolding screens to view making it's easier to hold and adjust the screen to get a direct view without glare.
Bottom Line:
If you are a professional or enthusiast who shoots in raw format, you'll probably agree that Flashtraxs raw support is better than Epsons. Epson needs to add the capability to view histograms and zoom on raw files which I'm hoping they will do in a future software update that owners can download. Shooting in Raw+jpg does work around this but wastes memory space. Most the time I only check my histograms while I'm shooting to see if I need to adjust settings so this isn't a deal breaker for me. You'll still love the P-2000 for it's great display and ease of use. Getting the Flashtrax or P-2000 is much cheaper than buying 40GB of compact flash cards and smaller and easier/faster to use in the field than a laptop. If you decide to go with the Flashtrax you'll be happy not to lug a laptop but learn to balance awkward devices in the field. If you need the capacity for 80GB the Flashtrax is your only option at this point. Nikon owners may look at the Coolwalker. Although I haven't owned one the P-2000s screen and flexibility to use with non-Nikon cameras (such as my Olympus point & shoot) gives it a big advantage over the Coolwalker in my mind. Plus on the p-2000 & Flashtrax you can view videos & listen to music too!
If you are an amateur you'll love the p-2000 since its a slick device to store/view thousands of photos, listen to music and watch quicktime movies on. I wouldn't get the Flashtrax since you don't need the 80GB file capacity to store thousands of jpgs or raw file features. The P-2000 is easier to use too.
The only problem is it's hard to find a p-2000 in stock due to demand or Epsons lack of production so if you are in a hurry, you may need to get a FlashTrax instead.
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TV show with Flash Trax 80 [Posted on 2005-07-28]
if you want to view yor slide show on TV be prepared to turn your head through 90 degrees. the Flash Trax 80 has no facility to rotate images!!! I cannot uderstand how a company can possibly market a unit which will not rotate images. I have no complaints with other aspects except it would not delete and would not run .mov files. i returned the unit for a refund.
A dated product by now. [Posted on 2007-01-09]
I bought this a few years ago, and it was really a dated product then, more so now! Poor resolution screen (sucks), unreliable "auto transfer" from compact flash cards, poor battery life, BUT it will store your files for you. Not something I would recommend, something I only use in shear desperation!!!
Good idea very poor quality [Posted on 2008-02-28]
SmartDisk FlashTrax XT 80GB Digital Multimedia Player, FTXXT80
I purchased my FlashTrax 80GB as a second-hand item from a friend who was using this device for 3 or 4 months. The idea of having a small mass storage device with a display being capable of copying pictures directly from different types of memories is really great. You do not need to carry a bulky laptop anymore! I felt relieved at last. The initial period of few months was a sort of a love affair. FlashTrax was working fine, and the fact that the screen does not offer a great resolution, and that viewing the pictures (especially large files) is slow didn't matter.
Unfortunately the happy days didn't last long. When the machine became slightly over one year old the monitor stopped working. I travel a lot and it is very difficult for me to send a faulty device, which just lost its warranty, back to the factory service. After a 4 week e-mail exchange with the FlashTrax service in Florida I finally managed to ship it out. It came back from a repair after almost two months which is a very long time, but it was working OK. Unfortunately after another year the same malfunction occurred. The screen became blue and I could not see any pictures anymore. The rest was working fine, but I had to use TV monitor to view the files, which was not the reason why I purchased this baby. This time FlashTrax customer service did not reply to my e-mails.
I decided to open FlashTrax myself. Yes, I have some training in electronics, and to my amazement I have discovered that the flexible, printed circuit, connection strip connecting the "mother board" with the screen is broken. There was a long transverse crack across! The same problem must have occurred one year before. The quality of the connection strip is very poor, and I believe that the same failure must be affecting all FlashTrax models of this type. I tried to find the screen on different on-line shops offering spare parts, but it seems that this screen is produced only for FlashTrax and is not available for single customers. My advice - if you want a brand new for 600 USD toy that will break after 12-18 moths buy it and throw it away later. If you think of buying a second hand one, you will have it working for couple of months only. Service will not help you especially if you are not in USA. If you think seriously of storing your valuable photographs, forget about FlashTrax.
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